Imagine Festival opened its gates for the first time last summer in Atlanta. Despite premiering in an already competitive festival market home to Counterpoint, TomorrowWorld, Music Midtown, and Shaky Knees, Imagine shined as not only one of the most memorable weekends of music in the southeast, but also the nation. This August 29 and 30 Imagine Festival will be back in Old Fourth Ward Park hosting a dream lineup featuring GRiZ, The Glitch Mob, Shpongle, and Tipper to name a few.

Interested in learning more about this unique festival while in its formative years, Raver Rafting’s good friends at Iris graciously took the time out of their busy schedules to discuss all of our eager questions regarding this blossoming event.

Tell us more about the birth of Imagine Fest. How did the vision for the event come to fruition?

The vision for Imagine was developed from a desire to create an experience completely devoted to the festival goer. We wanted to create a vibe that runs throughout the event all the way from the staff to the attendee. A vibe so positive, uplifting and authentic, that moves your soul and can’t be found anywhere else.

To transport festival goers to an imaginary world, we create a complete 360 degree experience filled with circus performers, flow arts, dancers, beautiful decor, and an immersive environment that extends beyond the stage. We encourage participation and artistic expression by everyone. Attendees’ participation becomes an integral part of the show itself, thus creating a truly magical experience. It was a dream to be able to curate an event like this with such a blank canvas. There is no limit to creativity in the outdoors.

What does the process of creating the lineup look like?

The lineup is not your standard cookie cutter lineup. There are small and large think tanks devoted to lineup ideas and suggestions. We write down lists constantly and make notes on those lists and then compare those notes with other staff, friends, family, strangers, and attendees. Ideas are pulled from all different demographics, and we try to tie them all in together to create an intelligent lineup.

The festival is about music discovery and creating a platform for both emerging artists and the best talent in the world to showcase their craft. As organizers, we strive hard to represent every electronic music genre and throw in a few surprises to keep things interesting. We were really happy with the lineup from Imagine 2014, but the lineup for 2015 has us over the moon. It’s important to be constantly challenging ourselves to bring something even better.

At what point during or after the inaugural weekend in 2014, did you realize the festival’s level of success?

When we opened our gates we were nervous and anxious, hoping that the customers would enjoy the show. Walking around the event there was this magical electricity in the air. We just felt in our souls that this was the beginning of something larger. After the event we had the pleasure of speaking with some of the Imagine attendees and never before had heard such sincere, heart felt, touching, and appreciative compliments. These moments brought tears of joy to our eyes and completely validated everything we were doing.

There were times when we thought about giving up, but just so happened to run into somebody who went to Imagine and told us it changed their life. Compliments like that give you purpose and kept us going.

We have never heard people describe an event in such a touching way. A few months after the festival, Imagine found its way to several Top 10 lists along side several veteran festivals. We continue to feel humbled and blessed by every positive review and accolade and we will never stop improving.

How was the decision made to host Imagine Fest in Old Fourth Ward Park? Where there any other grounds in the running?

It was a priority for us to create a festival that was convenient and accessible to festival goers. We wanted people to be able to use mass transit and stay at hotels. For those reasons it was imperative to find a venue in the City of Atlanta. The event was originally going to be held at another location, however the day before our city permits were due the old venue fell through and left us scrambling to find something else or be forced to cancel the event. The mayor’s office, Parks And Recreation, and all the people from Masquerade were extremely supportive and helpful in helping us find our home.

We have always felt like someone was looking out for us because by some miracle we found The Historic Fourth Ward Park & Masquerade Music Park. The area was only recently transformed into a park, and when we saw it we couldn’t believe our eyes. What used to be a cement parking lot was a magnificent park and the perfect setting for Imagine Festival.

If you had to choose between keeping Imagine Fest as a smaller, grassroots event or bursting into a mega festival which would you choose and why?

Our number one goal is to keep the customer happy. No matter how large we grow, we will continue to provide an experience that is convenient, comfortable, and authentic with a sensational lineup that sets us apart from all other festivals. We will never compromise the integrity of Imagine or the unmistakable vibe by growing too quickly. We’re confident that everyone will share in our excitement for these plans and recognize our commitment to providing the very best experience possible for all to enjoy.

What artists would be your dream headliners?

Take a look at our full lineups from Imagine 2014 and 2015. We pride ourselves on the entire lineup. Both rosters are comprised of some of the sickest talent out there. The depth of the Imagine 2015 lineup is something that sets us apart. The other crucial component that sets us apart are the crowds that attend our festival.

There are a lot of really great events out there with massive “headliners,” but very few can compete with the vibe created by all of the beautiful souls attending Imagine. You can literally feel it in the air and capture it in your heart.

What goals do you have for Imagine Fest within the next five years?

It seems very simple, but our ultimate goal is to provide an experience we would thoroughly enjoy ourselves; to treat others as we would want to be treated, and to provide the highest quality event with the customer experience being our number one priority. We receive endless joy from helping provide others with life changing experiences alongside friends and family, that they will cherish for a lifetime. We’re looking forward to helping provide these experiences to all that can “Imagine.”
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